All about Canada's IEC working holiday!

IEC stands for International Experience Canada. It is the Government of Canada’s program for young adults from over 35 countries to work and travel in Canada.

There are three IEC categories: 1) Working Holiday, 2) Young Professionals and 3) International Co-op. To learn more about the Young Professionals and International Co-op categories, see section 4 of this page.

WHVs are bilateral accords signed between governments to promote youth mobility and cultural exchange. Participating countries allow young adults to spend a set period of time (usually one year) living and working abroad. Most of the accords are signed between countries in Europe, the Americas, Oceania, and East Asia. A WHV encourages cultural exchange alongside the chance to gain valuable work experience, though participants are not obligated to work.

The IEC Working Holiday permit is what Canada calls its WHV. The difference between a visa and a permit is technical, but for all intents and purposes, they are interchangeable in this context.

For the Working Holiday permit, Canada currently has bilateral accords with 35 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland and the UK.

For other nationalities, check your eligibility here.

The length of your working holiday will be determined by your citizenship (usually 12 or 24 months):

• Australia: 24 months
• Germany: 12 months
• Ireland: 24 months
• New Zealand: 23 months
• UK: 24 months

Check the rules for your citizenship here.

Your citizenship will determine whether you can apply for multiple participations or if you can only take part once.

You may be able to participate more than once but you may have to choose a different category for the second participation (e.g. one participation under the Working Holiday and a second participation under the Young Professionals permit, instead of two Working Holidays).

Because the rules for each country are different, it’s important to check what you are eligible to apply for.

The Government of Canada allocates a certain number of Working Holiday permits to each country:

• Australia: Unlimited!
• Germany: 4,490
• Ireland: 10,500
• New Zealand: 2,500
• UK: 9,000

You can check the current allocations here.

Note: Not all candidates in the Working Holiday pool can be selected. Submit your profile early in the IEC season before the quota is reached. Read more…

The Working Holiday permit fee (CA$357) includes:

• CA$172 IEC participation fee
• CA$100 open work permit holder fee
• CA$85 biometrics fee

Yes, once your application has been approved and before you travel to Canada, you must buy health insurance coverage that covers at least medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation. The policy must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in Canada, otherwise you will be issued with a permit that ends when your insurance coverage ends.

For instance, if you are eligible for a 12-month Working Holiday permit and you only buy six months of insurance, you will be issued a six-month work permit. You won’t be able to extend the permit to receive the other six months.

Yes. Before you can start working, you will need to obtain a Social Insurance Number (SIN). Your employer will need to ask for your SIN within three days of starting work.

Your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for an open work permit under certain circumstances, e.g. if you (the IEC permit holder) secure a job in a specified NOC TEER category. More info…

Unlike many WHV countries, you can bring your dependent children to Canada. However, every child must have their own immigration status in Canada, e.g. visitor, study permit or student permit holder. More info…

Standard items include:

• A scanned copy of your passport (including any pages with stamps and visas)
• A digital photo of yourself
• An up-to-date resume (including all work and education experience)
• Family information (using form IMM 5707)

You may also have to provide:

• Proof of medical exam performed by an IRCC-approved doctor
• Police certificate(s)

The specific documents requested by IRCC varies from person to person, depending on things like your citizenship, where you have previously lived, and what type of work you want to do in Canada. For more information, read Gathering the supporting documents for your application.

You have 12 months from the date that your POE Letter of Introduction is issued to arrive in Canada.

If you do not travel to Canada within 12 months of receiving your POE letter, your Working Holiday permit will expire. You can apply again in future but you will have to pay the fees again.

Yes, you can leave and re-enter Canada as many times as you want. However, keep in mind that days spent outside Canada still count towards your permit validity.

For instance, if you have a 12-month Working Holiday permit and spend six months in Mexico, you will have six months left on your permit to spend in Canada.

You will need to create an account with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and enter your profile into the Working Holiday pool. You must then wait to be selected by the Government of Canada.

If they send you an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you can complete your application form. Use our step-by-step guide to help complete the application process.

We are a team of current and former working holiday makers dedicated to providing free information and resources about the working holiday, to Canada and other destinations. Read our helpful articles, leave comments if you have questions, and check out our special deals.

We don’t ask for any money, and neither should anyone else in your application process (besides the embassy/consulate and their official partners). Be very careful of online scams where someone might ask you for an exorbitant amount to help you get your visa. Working Holiday Visas are designed to be relatively easy to obtain yourself, so there is absolutely no need to pay any professional service to do it on your behalf.